Ferulic acid supplementation for 40 days in hair ewe lambs experiencing seasonal heat stress: short-term effects on physiological responses, growth, metabolism, and hematological profile

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2023-01, Vol.30 (5), p.11562-11571
• Main Authors: Nicolás-López, Porfirio, Macías-Cruz, Ulises, Avendaño-Reyes, Leonel, Valadez-García, Karen M., Mellado, Miguel, Meza-Herrera, Cesar A., Díaz-Molina, Raúl, Castañeda, Vielka J., Vicente-Pérez, Ricardo, Luna-Palomera, Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Female; Heat-Shock Response; Research Article; Seasons; Sheep; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22962-5

Free ferulic acid (FA) is a natural compound with antioxidant properties which mitigates the negative effects of cold stress in sheep; however, its impact on thermoregulatory responses in heat-stressed sheep has not been defined. The objective was to evaluate the effects of FA supplementation on physiological responses, serum analyte concentrations, and the hematological profile of heat-stressed hair ewe lambs. Twenty-two Dorper × Katahdin ewe lambs (initial body weight = 23.5 ± 2.8 kg and age = 4 months) were housed in individual pens for 40 days and assigned under a randomized complete block design to the following treatments ( n  = 11): basal diet with 0 (control) or 250 mg of FA/kg of feed. The FA × sampling day interaction only affected serum concentration of some metabolic hormones; particularly on day 20 of the trial, FA increased ( P